Pokhara-Sauraha Air Linkage Starts After A Decade

Pokhara and Sauraha, two tourist destinations in Nepal are being linked by air route, with regular flights starting from mid-September. The flights are being conducted by the private airline company Buddha Air who will run regular trips between the two destinations.

A one-way journey between Pokhara and Sauraha is estimated to take 20 minutes of air travel. While Nepali citizens have to pay NPR 3,650 for the one-way flight, foreigners are charged USD $92 for the journey.

The new service is expected to ease the access between the two cities for domestic and foreign tourists, who otherwise had to visit Kathmandu and take the flight or use the tedious roadway. Buddha Air is deploying an 18-seater aircraft for the purpose, which would be switched with a 47-seater if passenger flow surges as expected.Previously, flights between Pokhara and Sauraha were operated by Shangri-La Air and its competitor Skyline Airways about 13 years ago.

Sauraha is expected to benefit greatly from the linkage as the roadway to the destination has been interrupted in recent times due to construction work. Pokhara, Lumbini and Sauraha have been preferred by travellers visiting Nepal besides trips to Everest, Annapurna and other regions.